Massage apparatus.



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'mn'uumus primal' drawing, in which 'c UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

MASSAGE APPARATUS. l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 199i?.

Application filed March 16, 1907. Serial No. 362,781-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FERDINAND SCHMIDT, a subject of the King of Prussia, and residing at Schreiberhau, Riesengebirge, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Massage Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The subj ect of my invention is an improved apparatus for massaging the human body and more particularly the abdomen. In this appliance the actual massaging members are giver' a rotary motion, resembling the rotary motion of the fingers over the parts under treatment in hand massage, about an axis lying outside of them, whereby the parts are kneaded or shampooed (socalled ptr'issage). This rotary motion of the massaging members may be advantageously combined with a positive up and down motion (vibration), so that the parts being treated are not only kne'aded, but also percursed (so-called" tapotement) One form of construction of my new apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus and Figs. 2 & 3 detail sectional views of parts to be hereinafter referred to.

1 is an upright pillar on which is mounted an electric motor 2, which with the aid of the grooved pulley 3 drives the pulley i and its shaft 5. The bevel gears 6, 7 transmit the motion of the latter to the vertical shaft S. At the' bottom of the latter are connected the arms 9, to which are secured the massaging members 10, in this particular construction balls being shown. The arms 9 may be advantageously connected to the shaft 8 by joints 11, so that by turning the screws 12 and thus causing turning at the joints, the arms may be adjusted at a greater or less inclination to each other, that is to the shaft 8. The latter can be raised or lowered by hand and thus brought to the precise height required. The up and down motion of this snaft 8, with arms 9 and massaging members 10, is effected by means of a disk 13 mounted on the shaft 5. This disk is provided with an eccentric annular groove 14, in which there engages a guide pin 15 projecting from the shaft 8 but not rotating with it. The pin 15, and thus the shaft 8 and parts cor:- nected Awith it, are, therefore, raised and low ered on rotation of the grooved disk. This enables percuss'ive treatment.

The actual massaging members 10are, as i Fig. 2 shows, secured to the arms 9 with ca pability of yielding. They are carried by screw-ended stems 16, which pass through the arms 9 and are held by thumb nuts 17. Between arms and massaging members springs 18 are coiled on the stems 16, and

can be brought under tension by ti htening the nuts 17. The massaging memers are mounted with capability of turning in all directions, in well-known manner. For this purpose the stems 16 are formed with internally threaded cups or sockets 19 at the bottom (Fig. 3) a ring 20 being screwed into the socket below the center-line of the ball 10. The massaging member, when in use, may be electrically charged in suitable, well-known manner. In view of the spring suspension of the massaging members, the latter adapt themselves perfectly to the particular part of the body under treatment, rolling over the same simultaneously with their rotary motion. A

Although the ap aratus is here shown arranged for electric drivin it is obvious that it mty be worked by han or otherwise if desire Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letl ters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a massage apparatus, vin combination, a shaft, radial arms carried thereby, yielding socket-ended holders secured to the arms, I nassagingballs mounted in the sockets with capability of turning in all directions, and means for driving said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a massage apparatus, in combination, a shaft, radial arms yieldingly carried thereby, spring actuated massagmgmeans carried by said arms, and means for driving said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a massage apparatus,- in combination, a shaft, radial arms yieldin ly carried thereby, massaging means carried y said radiating arms, and means for driving said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a massage apparatus, in combination, a shaft, radial arms carried thereby, yieldable independently of one another, massaging means carried by said yielding radial arms, meansfor rotating said shaft, and means for reciprocating it in the direcj tion of its axis during its rotation, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

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vgearing for transmitting the motion of the r 5 driving shaft to the first said shaft, and means on the latterco-operating with the said eccentric, for reciprocating the first said shaft in the direction of its axis during its rotation, substantially as and for the purpose 2o set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

FERDINAND SCHMIDT.

Vitnesses: l A

H. VON OIs'rE, FRANZ FRANKS. 

